Drowning Into You
by pork-cutlet-bowl
Summary: Swimming has been very good to Victor. It's given him recognition, state championships and a fairly good shot at the Olympics. But what he really craves is adorable yet prickly Yuuri Katsuki. His shy nature and blatant disregard for Victor's fame turns him on like nothing else. But there's one problem: Yuuri shut him down. Completely.
1. Victor: Cleaning Up His Act

**Disclaimer** : Yuri! on Ice belongs to Mitsurou Kubo and I make no profit from it. This is for entertainment purposes only!

God, this took forever for me to get out! I kept changing my mind about it so many times that I realized that I didn't need to change anything and I need to stop overthinking everything, so...enjoy you guys!

* * *

 ** _Victor: Cleaning Up His Act_**

* * *

What was it about me that made people so horny?

I pondered that as the bed frame rocked steadily against the wall of my hotel room. My latest acquisition moaned while her nails dug into my back as I thrust hard inside of her. Sweat dripped down my bare chest, and my pants hung halfway off my hips, the belt buckle slapping against her thigh.

I didn't have time to take them completely off. But more on that later.

Maybe, if I had a drop of insight and the ability to separate myself from the situation and become a fly on the wall, he would be able to see how depressingly cliché this was. At this point, it'd became second nature for the girl to choose a bad boy like me over the nerdy beta guy friend that was in love with her.

But that wasn't my problem now, was it? I showed her how little I care about their relationship by grabbing a leg and throwing it over my shoulder propelling my cock deeper into her. Her eyes widened, and she gasped. Wild brunette hair matted her forehead, and her face told me she's desperate for more. I slowed down my thrusts for a second or two to brush my hair away from my face and look down at her. The gleam and beam in her eyes were enough to light a pitch-dark room.

She held down on my back, arching her own whenever I sent piston-like jolts of pleasure through her body. Her moans got louder, and I could feel her foot leaving indents in the mattress as she dug her heel into it. But her natural reactions were mediocre at best. That wasn't enough. I was going to make her remember me. She was going to learn why they called me a living legend around here.

"You're so…hot," she moaned. Clearly, she could see the sweat glissading from my neck and muscular chest, reflected by the light that's pouring into the dark room from her window. She looked at me as if I'm like a demi-god as she rubbed my chest. She can't help herself. As I leaned down to continue thrusting inside her, I felt her warmness clench around me. I shut my eyes, preparing for the end. Panting, she gripped my back and called out my name.

"Victor!" she cried. "I…I'm gonna—"

Her body jerked, and she moaned her ecstasy. Her nails felt like daggers in my back, and I prayed she hadn't left any marks. But I couldn't think about that right now because my thrusts were getting frantic. I could sense my end approaching. I guess she saw it too because she reached up for the back of my neck and tried to pull me down to kiss her. She was met with resistance because my hips were moving too fast to care about that. The coil in my belly snapped, and I squeezed my eyes shut as my orgasm flooded my senses.

I can't lie, that felt good. Dammit. It always does. It's an Achilles heel. Sex is like kryptonite to me.

I laid on top of her while I waited to come down from my high. No words were exchanged. The silence was met with occasional sighs and whimpers. Once it passed, my mind wasn't as clouded, and the throbbing veins in my I finally rolled over to my side on my back, staring at the ceiling.

"That was incredible Victor," she sighed happily, and I could see her from the corner of my eye giving me _that_ look. I cringed a bit. "But I noticed you didn't kiss me once the whole time," she pouted, sitting up on an elbow. "What was up with that?"

I paused and glared at the silly girl. And by some miracle, she's not as attractive as she was before I had sex with her. It's amazing how clearer your thoughts are when you're not horny anymore.

"I told you I hate kissing," I said as I rolled out of bed and got dressed. "You knew that from the beginning."

She knows the deal. Everyone does. I tell them up front that this is just sex and they still want something stupid from me, like intimacy.

"But kissing makes the girl feel wanted!" Her shrill voice made me cringe more. "It brings us closer..." I heard her shuffling behind me when I put my shirt on. Then I grunted when she threw her arms around me. "We've been sleeping together for a couple of weeks now. Don't you wanna be closer to me, Victor?"

Of course, I don't. I'm getting more and more turned off. This is why I hate the aftermath of sex. "I'm leaving for practice in a few minutes," I muttered. Now I know I've overstayed my welcome and needed to go. Plus, Yakov was probably wondering where I was.

"You're gonna leave? Just like that?" She wailed. "You always do this, Victor! Why can't you stay for once?"

That voice could rival nails on a chalkboard. "I told you, I have practice."

"What about afterward?"

"Studying."

She laughed. "Since when do you study?"

I don't. But I needed all excuses to get out of this girl's dorm with my skin intact. I'd like that, preferably before she goes nuts. "I have an important test coming up."

She snorted behind me, and she's breathing in my ear. "Again, since when do you give a fuck?"

That I _did_ care for, maybe not enough, but at this point, this girl was annoying me, and her breath stunk. I turned around and patted her on the head because that's how much respect I have for her. "I'm leaving now, Alyssa."

"My name's Anya."

Oops. Before I could correct my mistake, my pants buzzed in the leg that I have yet to put on. A wave of relief swept over me. Saved by the iPhone.

Or maybe not, because in big capital letters, Yakov seemed to be screaming at me through the display: _GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE VITYA!_

And now you see why I never take my pants off completely.

* * *

"Over here" is, of course, the main locker room where all the athletes in the school go to practice. Not just swimmers like me, but also the football, basketball, baseball and soccer, rugby, track, wrestling and tennis players. So, you can imagine how packed it can be if certain seasons overlap. Luckily for me, I didn't have to worry about sharing that cramped space, because I had my own room. And don't blame me for that. Girls like Alyssa—sorry, I mean Anya petitioned for that to happen.

And that's not even the most outrageous thing girls have done to gain my affection.

After receiving two more texts from Yakov in which he called me a brat in one of them and an insufferable idiot in the other, I finally showed up. As soon as I opened the door, I could feel the sauna of the area escaping out from the confines of this room. It was always hot in here, and being around a bunch of sweaty guys didn't help matters in the least.

Some of my teammates applauded me while others scowled and rolled their eyes as I stepped through the door. By now, they knew my routine. I walk to practice, with all intent and purpose to make it on time, but a hot girl texts me saying she wants to know if Russian guys have big co—

"Victor!"

I was almost at my coach's office when I heard a familiar voice belonging to my best friend Chris. I approached him at his locker, while greeting some other members of the team on my way there.

"Yakov is pissed at you," he said when I approached him.

"When isn't he?" I rolled my eyes.

"When you're not late for practice."

"Touché." He has a point there. But I continued to banter. "But when am I ever late?"

"On days that end with 'Y'"

"If he keeps going at me the way he does, he's not gonna have any steam left before the time trials."

"Well, perhaps stop raising Coach's blood pressure on a weekly basis and that won't happen," Chris chuckled. "Was she worth it at least?"

"Tch."

"You know Georgi's gonna kill you."

I shrugged. "He broke up with her if I remember correctly. I doubt he even cares."

"Either way. That's his girl."

My expression stayed neutral as I rummaged my locker for towel and swimming trunks. "Not my circus, not my monkeys."

"More importantly, I can't even believe you still like vajayjay," Chris shuddered and closed his locker. "Once you had a hot dog, it's hard going back to ground beef, know what I mean?"

That was Chris. Always the king of oversharing. "Keep your lewd fantasies to yourself."

"Says you. If it weren't for yours, we wouldn't have to do extra laps every day."

"And you're in better shape because of it, so you can thank me later."

"I'd like to, but you're still batting for the other team."

I quirked an eyebrow at my friend and winked. "Well, maybe if you keep swinging, you'll hit a homer someday."

"Really?"

I snorted. "No."

"Asshole."

"Remember Chris; it's an exit, not an entrance!" I called as I made my way over to Yakov's office. No doubt he was right about Georgi, but I'd cross that bridge once I got to it. Hopefully the guy wouldn't be too mad once I explained myself.

I put that in the back of my mind once I stood in front of Yakov's door and before knocking, I could already hear him on the other side, yelling at some poor sap. He was probably taking most of the brunt of the tongue lashing that Yakov had saved for me, and he boiled over like a teapot before I could get here.

I needed to get my act together. Other people were suffering and it was starting to look bad.

The door opened, and I discovered that it's a kid on the junior varsity team, Guang Hong, that Yakov was giving that unnecessary verbal assault. Once he saw me, he blushed a bit, but then he said, "Hey, Victor."

I felt sorry for the kid, so I ruffled his hair and said hello back. I didn't mean for anyone else to get their butts handed to them because of me. Once he left, I took a deep breath and walked in Yakov's office.

"Victor!" He says with a sardonic sneer once I walked in and closed the door. "How nice of you to join us, your majesty. Would you like some coffee or some tea? Foot massage? Or maybe a nice swift boot in the ass?"

That was Yakov. Demonstrating all his redeeming qualities as a person in less than thirty seconds. But if he wanted to play tit for tat, then I could do that too. "Coffee is fine," I said as I sat down in the chair in front of him.

"No, no, no. Get your ass up. Idiots like you who have no respect for the rest of their teammates don't deserve to sit down."

I sighed. Perhaps not the right time to get on Yakov's wrong side even more. I didn't blame him for his frustration. I hadn't made this year easy for him, and the semester just started not too long ago. "What can I do for you, coach?"

"You can start by telling me what the fuck _this_ is all about," he answered while throwing a bunch of papers in my face.

"What is it?" I asked, blinking slowly while rolling my eyes.

"Normal people would pick up the paper and see for themselves, but I guess you're the exception to the rule."

Normal people don't try to make their players feel like crap either, but I digress.

"Your professor is telling me that you're not putting forth the effort to pass the class. You're not studying or doing assignments, and of course, since you think you're hot shit, can show up any time you want."

I picked up one of the papers that coach threw at me. It was a test with a big giant red 'F' on it. It was from my horrendously complicated Statistics course. "Is this the only class you're mad at me about?"

"Does it matter? You're not in high school anymore, Vitya. You're a senior in college. Do you know how much this affects your teammates, you idiot? You're their captain! Stop putting your harlots above everything else and set a fucking example!"

Yakov was the only person I knew who used words like that. Furthermore, I was aware what was on my plate this year, but what did my sex life have to do with my grades? "Coach, I'm trying here. I just can't understand the material. Math has always been hard for me."

"It's only hard because you don't put forth any effort. Instead, all your efforts go to getting as many girls in your bed as you can in any given week." He threw another balled piece of paper at me and would've poked me in the eye if I hadn't shut them before it hit me in the face. "Get it together, or else I'm gonna have to have Chris take your place. I'm not putting up with your shit this year, Vitya!"

"How am I supposed to do that? I'm a lost soul in that class."

"Then ask for help like a reasonable person. Sign up for tutoring. I don't give a damn. Do whatever you need to bring those grades up. Don't fuck with me, Vitya. I won't hesitate to replace you. I don't need you acting up, especially since all eyes will be on you this year once you graduate. Or did you forget what you said to me four years ago? Be a man already!"

"Okay, okay. I get it." I couldn't take him cursing at me so much but I know it's my fault he's mad. I picked up all the papers from the floor. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. Take a shower. You smell like sex."

I rolled my eyes. "I meant about practice."

"Practice being on time. Can you manage that? And can you at least pretend you give a shit about this team? Don't make me look stupid by appointing you the captain, Vitya. It's time to grow up. Improve your image, and stop making such rash decisions with girls. You're not going to make it if you keep thinking life is one big sex scene. You better think of something to impress your future sponsors and make yourself look good to these recruiters. They're not going to risk their reputation by taking on a womanizer. So, I suggest you do something to change it."

Jeez, he sounded more like my dad than my coach. Once he shooed me from his presence without letting me get a word in edgewise, I walked out to find about ten people standing on the other side. I guess they were listening to Yakov tearing me a new one.

"Don't worry guys. Everything's okay. I'm not in trouble." Much.

Some of them looked at me incredulously. I could understand why, because of my track record. I haven't always been the most dependable person.

"So, is the infamous Victor Nikiforov getting demoted? Is that what I just heard?" Said JJ near the back lockers. Of course, he had to stand up on the benches so he could be above everyone else and easily seen. "Yakov laid it pretty thick in there. Is the living legend being taken off his throne?"

"No," I said curtly, rolling my eyes. "No one's getting demoted. Everything's fine. Now if you guys are ready to practice, then follow me. We got a lotta work to do."

* * *

 _They_ had a lot of work to do, I mean.

I, on the other hand, needed a way to bring up this stupid math grade. Otherwise, I'd spend the rest of the season hearing how incompetent Yakov thinks I am. Even I can't endure that much verbal abuse.

I had to find someone to tutor me.

The university was a huge campus with a ton of students, so it wouldn't be easy finding someone willing to do the job without acting like a fan while doing it. Once I left the pools, I headed straight for the student center on the other side of the school. It was late in the afternoon, but the sun still managed to make the sidewalks too hot to walk on. The winds had picked up, making it a little nicer to handle the heat. The buildings and landmarks were separated by sidewalks, everything connected like a labyrinth. It was easy to get lost here if you weren't used to it.

A few people greeted me as I walked by. Others—girls—just stared in awe. It wasn't something I wasn't accustomed to. They've been like this since my freshman year here, and in my years before my hiatus.

There were tons of perks to being Victor Nikiforov. People treated me better because I was an athlete. Being an athlete meant that you were in much better physical shape than the average person (because you _had_ to be) and looks got you far around these parts. I usually got away with certain things (not with Yakov as you saw) and getting laid was the easiest thing in the world. Girls practically lined up to sleep with me, most claiming they enjoyed watching me swim, but I knew their reasons for pursuing me were much shallower.

For that reason, I had to deal with girls with the same way that I did with everyone else, no matter the gender, who tried to get close to me. I liked the attention they gave me because of the perks of easy flirting and sex. I preferred it that way because dealing with the opposite was hard. I didn't like talking. I didn't like commitment. It always seemed to bring unnecessarily messy emotions. I got enough of that in high school, so once I made it to college, casual, one-night stands were the only thing I could afford to invest in and out of, so to speak. And before you chastise me, don't bother feeling sorry for these girls. Our interest in each other was superficial but mutual. I wanted sex, but they wanted to be able to tell brag to their friends that they've been with the living legend.

Again, I didn't give myself that nickname. Even I know the thin line between confidence and arrogance. Most of the time.

"Victor!" I heard yet another familiar voice calling from behind and just as I suspected, it's another one of my best friends, Mila Babicheva. Before I could greet her, she'd already tackled me with a hug, nearly knocking us both down. "I heard Yakov tore you a new asshole again."

"Wow. News travels faster than herpes around here," I snorted.

"What's he so mad at you for anyways? What the hell did you do?"

"Well, I was in the middle of getting laid when he texted me. Or rather, I was finishing up that ordeal."

Mila made a face. "Gross. But he should be used to that by now, right?"

"He's pissed because I'm failing Statistics and wants me to get a tutor. I don't want to, but he's putting a lot of pressure on me to do well and behave this year." I sighed at the whole prospect of it. "He has a point, but I wish he weren't so hard on me."

"Someone has to keep a fire under your ass," Mila said. She and I sat underneath a tall maple tree as she opened a bento box filled with pirozhki, which I thought she hated. A few passersby glanced at us, but not much else. "Especially since you're the one that told him all of your life goals."

"And now I wish I hadn't," I said when I plopped down next to her. "Because he's expecting a lot more out of me."

"Well, it's not every day that one of Yakov's pupils tells him they want to make it to the Olympics. You did it to yourself."

"Gee, thanks," I rolled my eyes and grinned.

Mila just shrugged and took a huge bite of her pirozhki. "Next time, don't tell the whole world what you plan on doing. Now everyone expects you to make it there."

"No pressure," I deadpanned.

"Come on Vitya, who else can set records like you? Who can swim faster than you? You're ranked number one in the men's four-hundred-meter relay. Not to mention you're the best springboard diver in the whole first division. I can fill an entire book of all the shit you've accomplished in the past four years. And so can Yakov. That's why he's giving you such a hard time."

"Is that why he calls me a disgrace every chance he gets?"

"No. He's just mad because you're getting laid more than he is."

I had to laugh at that. Mila always seemed to know what to say to cheer me up, even with the weight of the world and pressure from Yakov bearing down on me. It was a wonder we've never done anything sexual, but Mila had always been more like a sister to me.

Plus, she likes girls. So even if I wanted to, I couldn't. And trust me, I've tried.

"That's the spirit," she beamed, reaching into her bento box. "Pirozhki?"

"Not until after time trials. I can't afford to eat whatever I want, unfortunately."

"If only you applied that philosophy to the girls you're banging."

I chuckled. "Am I that bad?"

"There's a reason why they call you a rolling stone around here Victor," Mila poked me in the arm with her elbow. "You've ever thought about settling down with just one girl?"

"Not in this lifetime."

"Even if she was the right person?"

"I never really considered it, we are in college after all. I mean, who wants someone blowing up your phone, nagging you about how much attention they need? I get enough of that from the girls I'm not even dating. Seems like too much work."

"You go for the hot, mentally unstable girls in our school and you wonder why they act cray cray?"

"It's not like I do it on purpose," I snorted.

"Stop sticking your dick in crazy. Problem solved."

"Tell that to my dick as you so vulgarly put it."

"Hmmm," Mila seemed to be thinking about her next snarky comment as she took a bite of her pirozhki. "Since you have such a problem with girls, have you ever thought about trying men?"

"Ehhh," I shrugged noncommittally. "I'm not opposed to it. Just not something I would jump in and try head first if I had a choice."

My indifference didn't faze her at all, which made it worse. "Well, it's a good thing you don't use your head. At least not the one between your shoulders."

I looked at my best friend, scandalized. "Mila…"

"What? Chris likes it."

"That's because he likes it up the rear and I don't care for it." That made Mila snicker, which flustered me even more. "What's so funny?" I demanded.

"I'm just saying, Victor. You're a pretty boy. It wouldn't shock anyone if you were gay. I think some people would even be happy."

"I'm not concerned with what people think. But I'm not attracted to guys. No way. And what do you mean it wouldn't shock anyone?"

"I just told you why. You're mistaken for a girl sometimes. Your eyes don't look real, you're hot from head to toe, and you get mani/pedis done more than anyone I know. Sure, blame it on the fact that you're in chlorine filled water during most of your afternoon, but you care a little too much about your looks, Vitya. More than a straight guy should."

"That proves nothing."

"No? Then why do you use Pantene on your hair?"

"It makes it soft!" I protested. "...And manageable."

"I rest my case."

"Let's not even go there, okay?"

"Someone has to! When was the last time you were in a loving, caring, healthy relationship that didn't revolve around sex?"

"Never," I grumbled while shrugging my shoulders. "I don't have the patience for relationships. Swimming takes up most of my free time, and I have way too much school work, on top of trying to graduate this year. I can't fit a person into my busy schedule right now."

"It doesn't matter if it's the right person at the right time. Speaking of which, are you ready for your trials?" she asked. "They should be coming up soon, no?"

"In two months," I replied, thankful for the sudden change of subject. "On top of preparing for that, Coach wants me to think of something to 'improve my image.' He didn't say what, so I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Well that's easy," Mila snorted. "How about doing something for charity? That always looks good on an Olympic resume."

"I guess, but no one's going to donate unless there's an incentive attached to it."

"Like what, though?" Mila said. "What do you think would make people want to—" she then got a stroke of epiphany and grabbed my shoulder with a hard smack. "I got it! How about a charity auction?"

"A _what_?" I said, nursing my now bruised arm.

"Charity auction!" the wheels seemed to be turning in Mila's head as she excitedly hopped up and down. Her eyes sparkled. "We can auction you off to the highest bidder, and she can take you out on an actual date! Do you know how much money you'd raise, Vitya? You're a sex symbol to these girls!"

"Auction me off?" I drawled. "As in…. sell me like I'm some whore?"

"At least you'll be staying true to yourself, right?" she snickered. "Seriously, though, you'd be killing two birds with one stone. And it'll get Yakov off your back, at least for the time being! Just let me and Sara organize it, please?"

"You must be out of your mind," I declared. "Think of something else. I will not be auctioned off."

"Aww come on Vitya, you haven't been with everyone here. I'm sure a sweet, unwitting girl is willing to take you out. A couple of thousand to be exact."

"A couple of thousand headaches that I don't need."

"Come on Vitya, please? It'll be fun. You never know, one of those girls could end up being your soulmate. Or guy, whatever."

"Watch it," I growled at her playfully, then sighed. "Fine, I'll let you and Sara organize this thing. Just don't do anything crazy. And if the girl is stable enough, I'll go out with her."

"Or guy…whatever."

"Mila…" I shot her a warning glance.

"Totally kidding. But I promise it'll be a moment you won't forget."

I rolled my eyes. "We'll see.

"Yes, we will." Mila stood up, and I followed her lead, throwing the strap of my duffle bag over my shoulder. "In the meantime, if you're going to the student lounge to sign up for tutoring, you better hurry up and get there, because there are only a few slots left. If you miss your chance, you'll have to wait until next week."

And I couldn't afford to let that happen, not after the way Yakov chewed me out earlier.

After I had said my goodbyes to Mila, I hurried along to the lounge. It was getting late, and the sun was disappearing over the horizon. I had to dodge a few cute girls on my way there, one of which looked somewhat familiar (this was becoming ridiculous, I noticed) but for once, my mind wasn't on getting laid. I had to get serious.

Luckily for me, I got the very last slot. When I checked out the billboard, I saw that there was an opening under the name _Yuuri Katsuki_. I felt a little relieved that I didn't recognize the name, which didn't say much since I could barely remember the girl from earlier. But I vowed that I wouldn't go down that route with my new tutor. The last thing I need is Yakov breathing down my neck again about my grades.

Yuuri Katsuki. For some reason, that name made me smirk a bit. It was a nice name. Then the silliness that Mila was talking about earlier regarding soulmates came to mind. I shouldn't have given it a second thought. But she had ways of getting into my head about certain things that she knew I kept to myself. I didn't like to speak about it, especially with her, because she was one of the very few people who knew about my past.

Mila meant well. But she's like that meddlesome little sister who always tries to play cupid. I knew she wanted me to be happy, but she had to understand that I wasn't in the right place to give myself to anyone right now. Male or female.

My phone buzzed and chimed with a text from what I assumed was another unknown number. Since I'd already finished practice and signed up for this tutoring thing, I could spend the rest of the evening in between the thighs of whoever was texting me.

But instead, it was an ominous message from Georgi that said: _**We need to talk.**_

Man. I needed to put a lid on my hormones.

* * *

"I swear to you, Georgi. She told me you'd found someone else already."

After successfully evading the man for about two blocks, he caught up with me outside of school. I was standing at a crosswalk on my way to my dorm across the street that was located off campus when I felt someone grab my shoulder from behind. Unfortunately, it was him.

"Well, I didn't! It hasn't even been a month yet, Victor," he whined. "Why would you go after my ex?"

"That's not true. Anya was at one of my practices, and she said she needed a shoulder to cry on." Which then, in turn, became a cock to ride on, but I didn't feel the need to mention that.

"She didn't even waste any time! How is it that she's okay and I feel like I'm dying over here?"

"Georgi…" I didn't want to get in the middle of their relationship drama. I had a spectrum of problems of my own. "Look, I'm sorry. I wasn't intentionally going after her." I wasn't that careless with other people's feelings, especially not with the feelings of a close friend of mine. "She just told me, and I should've asked you first. If it makes you feel any better, it won't happen again."

Before he could yell at me some more, my phone rang. Sometimes I wish I could chuck this thing into the ocean. It was always going off. I saw another unknown number but thankfully, not from a girl I was sleeping with.

I was so distracted by the phone call that I didn't pay attention to the traffic lights, and I crossed the street before I was supposed to.

"Victor!" I heard Georgi scream, "Look out!"

And then, it happened. Faster than I knew what was going on. I saw the car coming toward me, but I couldn't move out of the way in time. I prepared to feel the excruciating pain and inevitable death, but it was never to be. Someone—another girl, I presume—had grabbed me by the waist, spun me around like a drum, and dove for the nearest sidewalk, rolling right on the curb. Pain etched my entire back when we hit the ground, but we still managed to move out of harm's way. Unfortunately, we bounced too far toward the other side and ended down an embankment.

Everything around me was a grassy whirlwind. The unknown girl and I rolled over each other again and again and down the green hill. Adrenaline pumped through my body, making my heart race at lightning speed. A few moments later, my back hit the lush meadow with a hard thud. Pain shot up and down my spine like lightning bolts.

Damn, that hurt. But at least I was alive. It took me a few seconds to collect myself and wait for the ache to go away. Meanwhile, my shoulders were being pinned to the ground, as though the girl wanted to make sure I stayed put. I looked up to thank her for saving my life, but once my eyes could focus and I wasn't dizzy anymore, I stopped in my tracks.

At the prettiest pair of brown eyes I've ever seen. This person wasn't Georgi. Nor was it a fan.

Raven hair aside, my savior looked like an angel in disguise. The only problem was, this person was also a boy. A nice looking boy. And I would take that passing thought with me to my grave because Mila would never let me live it down.

He had a decent jawline; a little more than decent. It outlined the frame of his face in ways I couldn't explain. I didn't know why I was checking him out, but I couldn't help but notice a stir in my belly. Maybe it was the extra adrenaline and my body trying to calm itself. But my heart wouldn't stop racing.

The earth seemed to stand still. We looked at each other, hard, deep, profound, trying to figure out what the hell happened.

Once my brain kicked back into gear, and the eye contact was going on for longer than I realized, the boy's face seemed to tense up as he looked panicked. I knew that look anywhere: Recognition.

His hair was hanging down at an angle, tickling my nose. He brushed it behind his ear, with a flustered look on his face. By now, he knew who I was. "I…" he cleared his throat and tried again. "I'm sorry about that. I just didn't want you to…"

Was he seriously apologizing for pushing me out of the way of a moving vehicle that would've killed me otherwise? I almost wanted to laugh! But instead, the corner of my mouth pulled into a smirk. "Sorry for saving my life?"

"No, no! That's not what I meant..." the boy was blushing at this point. He looked like he wanted to die from embarrassment. "I didn't mean to slam you to the ground so hard…"

Was he afraid of me or something? I've heard of being star-struck, but I'm ninety-nine percent sure this boy has never been to any of my swim meets. The audience was filled with mostly horny women and he certainly was no lady or fan of mine, and I didn't have that many male fans.

"Better to be slammed on the ground than crushed to death by a three-thousand-pound car, right?"

The boy blushed even more. I didn't know why. It's not like I was flirting with him. "Y-Yeah. Umm…" he looked as if he wanted to say something else. "Y-y-you're Victor, right?"

My gut told me he was trying to make awkward small talk than anything else because who didn't know who I was? Then again, the boy looked petrified even to be talking to me, so I played along. "Yes, Victor Nikiforov to be exact. And you are?"

He hesitated for a second before answering, twirling a piece of hair around his finger. "I'm—"

Before he could speak, I heard police sirens and footsteps suddenly surround us. In a matter of seconds, cop cars, a fire truck and an ambulance were on the scene, followed by hundreds of passersby, a lot of them coming from our school.

I saw a few familiar faces. Some were my friends; others were fans, innocent bystanders, and groupies or girls I've slept with—which was embarrassing. I didn't want a mob trying to get in the way of the police doing their jobs.

It wasn't until one of the EMTs came up to us and started examining my guardian angel for serious injuries that I noticed that he still had one of my arms pinned to the ground, sitting on top of me. And I didn't even realize...

"Are you boys alright?" She asked.

"Y-yeah," this guy sure blushed and stuttered a whole lot. He awkwardly let my arm go and got off me. He twiddled his thumbs while avoiding eye contact. He looked mortified. "But I think you should check on Victor. I'll be fine."

Astonishing. Even though the kid probably had cuts and bruises everywhere and every single muscle was going to hurt tomorrow, his only concern was me.

"I'll still need to check you," the EMT lady insisted. "Just to make sure you're okay."

My guardian angel seemed uncomfortable with it, and he kept looking over at me as another EMT checked me for injuries. As a matter of fact, we both kept looking back at each other, perhaps to see if the other was okay. I don't know why. But once this was over, I had to thank this selfless boy somehow. Maybe give him tickets to some of my swim meets.

Police gathered to block off the accident scene with yellow tape. The crowd was getting bigger, and bigger and it was hard to tell who was calling my name. But I wished I didn't have an audience.

"Step back people!" I heard someone shout. Everyone seemed to want to come up to me, mainly the girls who thought it was okay to cross the yellow tape. They then began fighting amongst themselves when they wanted to be the only ones at my side.

During all that, I even heard them yelling how, "He was with me last week!" Or, "He took me out a few days ago, so he's mine!" I even thought I heard one girl say that she was going to ask me out when all of this was over.

Amazing. Did these people even care that I'd nearly lost my life if it wasn't for this boy?

Wait a minute. Of course they didn't. Because honestly, if the shoe were on the other foot, I wouldn't care either. But I most certainly would not be acting like an opportunistic groupie.

Not before long, I saw Chris, Mila, and Georgi in the crowd, trying to get through. Since they weren't allowed, they all yelled my name and waved.

It took a second or two for Mila to register what was going on. She looked over at my guardian angel who was still being checked on by one of the EMTs and then over at me. Then over at him and then back to me again.

I glared at her when she began smiling at me. I knew what she was thinking. I didn't want her to be right about what she said earlier. It's not like I planned this. The boy just happened to be at the right place at the right time.

That was it. Right?

"Okay kiddo, I need to check your blood pressure. Any medications you're on?" she asked me.

I didn't answer her right away. I was distracted by what was going on around me. The car that almost struck me had hit a pole and was almost split in two. I'm not sure what happened to the driver, but they were being transported to the hospital. A fire hydrant was knocked over and was now shooting out water like a geyser. Some people took that as an opportunity to play in it as if this was a damn amusement park.

The entire street was going to have to be shut down.

"Hey. Cutie." The EMT grabbed my face and turned it back toward her. "Focus. You take any meds?"

"No," I muttered. I looked back once again at the boy who saved me. I couldn't stop looking. He was still getting examined.

"It doesn't seem like you have any major injuries. I'm going to need you to give a statement to the police officer, and then you're free to go," the EMT told me. "In the meantime, I'd consider getting a lawyer."

I would've preferred not to make my life more chaotic than it already was, thank you very much. But now that she was done, I could go over to my guardian angel and thank him properly. But before I could do that, Chris, Mila, and Georgi managed to get past the yellow tape and up the hill to my side.

"What in the hell was that?" Georgi exclaimed. "One minute I'm talking to you at the crosswalk and the next, this car nearly runs you over!"

"I honestly still don't know...everything happened so fast..." I looked over my shoulder, and I saw that my guardian angel also had friends that came up to check on him. When he saw me looking at him, he blushed and stared down at the ground.

"Is that the guy that pushed you out of the way?" Chris asked.

"Yeah," I muttered, trying to mask my mixed emotions.

I was hoping and praying that Mila would choose another time to pick on me about what we discussed earlier, but she wouldn't be Mila if she didn't. "Such a brave and sweet boy! And he's not bad on the eyes either."

"Mila..." I glared at her.

"What? I'm just stating the obvious. He's cute." She had a knowing smile that I wish she would wipe off her face, but at the same time, I wondered what was making her gush so much. I was _not_ going to ask, especially since Chris and Georgi were with us.

"Where's the idiot driver that almost ran you over?" Georgi demanded. "I'm pretty sure that's grounds for some type of arrest, right? I bet they were drunk."

That was Georgi for ya, fighting on the side of justice. "Let the police handle that. The EMT said I'm clear to go once I make a statement to the cops. But there's something I need to do first."

"What?" All three of my friends said in unison.

Instead of answering them, I stood up gingerly. Sharp pains etched my back and shoulders, but I did my best to hide it. Georgi tried to advise me to take it easy, but I told him I was fine.

I turned around and walked toward the boy and his friends. They were engaged in deep conversation but one of them—Guang Hong noticed that I was coming their way and he nudged my guardian angel with his elbow. Then, once he saw me coming, I saw that familiar blush creep up on his face again.

And dammit, if there was a worse time for the annoying girls to come up to me, it was right now.

I wasn't even near my destination when they came crowding around me. Then it was like a butterfly effect, and soon they attracted a crowd and I was trapped in their cocoon of admiration.

But just this once, I didn't want to be admired. I didn't want their worship. I just wanted to thank this boy for saving my life.

"No!" I exclaimed. "Wait! Just let me...I need to-" but I couldn't get away. Some of the girls held my arm back. Others grabbed the other arm that was still in pain. I even felt one girl wrap an arm around my waist. My friends tried to break up the fray, but it was blocked off.

"Victor! That was so brave of you!" One of the girls said. "You got out of the way of that car without a scratch!"

I gave her a scandalized look. "Excuse me?"

"Ohhh, Vicchan, you must be so hurt," another girl said. "Let me ease your mind. I'm sure you can use some aromatherapy on those sore muscles, right?"

She gave me a lustful smile, one that once upon a time, make me want to jump her bones now made me feel sick to my stomach. I didn't want this. I wanted them to leave me alone. I just wanted to get to my guardian angel.

But once I turned around again to search for him, he was long gone.

 _Dammit…_


	2. Victor: Starting Point

Second installment! Enjoy!

* * *

 ** _Victor: Starting Point_**

* * *

"Victor's got a boyfriend; Victor's got a boyfriend!" Mila's sing-song voice echoed in my ears.

"Keep it down, will ya?"

That's all I heard from her for the rest of the evening into the night. She couldn't stop beaming over the fact that she thought she was right about me. All because of my interaction with the brave boy that saved me.

Mila and Chris to a lesser degree pointed out that I had a sparkle in my eyes when I looked at the kid when he first rescued me. He smirked a few times, but I could see the wheels turning in his head too. Sometimes I think my friends live to play matchmaker.

But I wasn't thinking about any spark. How could I, considering what was going on around me? I knew Mila was just looking for an excuse to fawn over it, but I was too sore and worn out to put up a fight, so I just let her think whatever she wanted.

After I couldn't find my guardian angel and the police ordered everyone to leave the scene, I was a bit aggravated. All I wanted to do was talk to him, see if he was alright and thank him. Once again, it wasn't meant to be. It just reminded me of so many other opportunities in the past that these "fans" ruined because these they selfishly couldn't keep their hands off me.

It was time for a change. I was sick of this.

"You okay, Vicchan?" Mila said once we got back on the sidewalk. She only called me that when she knew it was time to be serious and there was something on my mind. It's sort of why it annoyed me when that other girl called me that. "You've been kinda quiet since we left. You know I was only kidding, right?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I know. It's been a crazy day. I just need some sleep."

That was only partially right. I couldn't tell Mila that I was having flashbacks about the boy that rescued me. It was such an impressive thing to do, pushing me out of the way, saving my life. I was never going to forget that. And just when I thought he was going to soak up the publicity like everyone else at this school would've done, he went and did the opposite. He didn't even stick around after everything was over. Most people (girls, let's face it) at our school would have taken advantage of the attention that would've followed doing something like that. They'd even go so far as to save me because of it.

But, my guardian angel seemed to shy away from all of that.

He seemed shy and anxious in general. Blushing like mad whenever I looked at him, fidgeting, avoiding eye contact with me; Stuff that I usually wouldn't notice about a person which was weird…

The more I thought about it, the more my curiosity grew. I began to wonder how old the boy was. What was his major? How did he—

"Victor! Victor!"

I didn't realize I was lost in thought until I was rudely interrupted. A random girl crashed into me on purpose with her boobs spilling out of her shirt. I'd nearly fell over if it weren't for Mila.

"I saw what happened earlier," she said in a fake tone. "Are you okay? Did that boy hurt you?"

Hurt me? Was she insane? On drugs? What was wrong with these girls? Did they not see the same car accident that everyone else saw? Did they just blatantly refuse to acknowledge that a different person had saved me, and I wasn't the hero this time?

This rollercoaster ride was getting old, fast, and I wanted off.

Mila saw the irritation on my face, and without saying a word, she took my hand and walked away.

"Hey!" The girl exclaimed, trying to grab my arm. "I wasn't done talking to him."

"I don't care," Mila spat, lunging at her. "Leave him alone." When the girl wouldn't back off, Mila shoved her, hard. "I said let him go!"

"Bitch, you're not his girlfriend anyways, so _you_ let him go!"

Mila grabbed the girl's shoulders and shoved her against the lockers behind us, making about half the people in the hallway turn their heads our way. "No bitch, but I'm the best friend, and I can guarantee that you'll never be. Now scram, you stupid slut!"

"Mila, Mila! Relax," I hissed at her.

"Let that be a reminder to all of you whores at this school, Victor Nikiforov is single, and he doesn't belong to any of you!" her accent was thick and venomous, her words as fiery as her red hair.

Part of me was thankful that she was starting to understand how annoying this was, but now was not the time to get into a fight, because everyone was staring. When she managed to scare the girl off, and I managed to convince her that it wasn't worth it, Mila took my hand, and wouldn't let me go until we got to my dorm across the street—looking both ways this time.

We garnered more attention as we made our way across the field in front of the school. Some leftover press and paparazzi tried to get a statement from me to put on their blogs, and God knows what else for the rest of the week. Luckily my best friend was a spitfire, so she didn't let anyone come near me.

By the time we got to my dorm, amidst all the craziness and people wanting to know what happened, I could've passed out from pain and exhaustion.

"Are you sure you don't wanna go to the hospital, Vicchan?" said Mila. "Just to make sure everything's okay?"

"I'm too tired," I groaned, stretching and yawning. "And we would be in the waiting room all night. I just wanna sleep." My muscles were getting stiff. I couldn't have that especially with practice tomorrow and time trials were coming up soon after. Yakov would certainly not let me off the hook, car accident or not. _If you're not kidnapped or dead, your ass better_ be _at practice_ , he'd say.

"Okay, well I call B.S on that, but I can't force you, so," she pulled out her phone from her purse. "I'm gonna go meet up with Sara and plan this charity auction. In the meantime, stay here, get some rest and behave."

"You're not even gonna ask for my input?"

"Nope. Now get in the house. And don't let anybody inside. That includes your mistresses. I don't wanna keep giving out these knuckle sandwiches."

"Yes _mom_ ," I said, sticking my tongue out at her.

She punched me in my good shoulder before hugging me and taking off. I knew what she meant by that. Normally, I'd have a girl or two over, and she would keep the neighbors up late with her moans, but after what happened today, I needed a break from them.

I needed a long, peaceful break from all of them. But as long as my current reputation proceeded me, that was never going to happen, unless I did something drastic to turn things around.

Something like…

Whatever my mind was going to come up with up, it quickly fizzled when Yakov texted me again. What could he possibly want this time?

 _ **Come back to the office**_ , was his command. _**PR wants to talk to you**_.

For what? Couldn't they wait until tomorrow?

I ran my fingers through my hair, deciding on if I should go or not when my phone chimed again. _**NOW,** **Vitya.**_

Guess that meant I didn't have a choice.

* * *

When I returned to my coach's office, I didn't even need to ask him if he heard about the accident. The damned thing was broadcasting on his small TV. I tried to ignore what the news anchor was saying, but I picked up on the words affect Victor's swimming career, and after that, I forced myself to tune the rest out.

It was never ending.

"Victor Nikiforov," my Coach jeered. "Can swim at record speeds but apparently can't use that speed to dodge a vehicle."

I hated the way he hit me when I was already down. "Yakov," I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Is that why you told me to come all the way back down here? So you can insult me again?"

"No, stupid. Did you not read my text? The public relations guy—"

"Yeah, yeah, I read it. He's here and wants to talk." I knew the drill. PR had to clean up my sloppy work and were here to help me pick up the pieces; like they've done hundreds of times before.

"I'm leaving," Yakov announced, standing up. "Seeing as I'm a coach and not a journalist. But, you better be at practice tomorrow, Vitya. On time."

I sighed, squeezing my eyes shut. "I'll be there, Coach."

"On. Time."

I was starting to lose my patience with him, but for the sake of the PR guy, I held it together with a fake smile. "On time."

With nothing more than a grunt, Yakov thankfully left without taking another jab at my character as if he needed to.

The PR guy stood in the background this entire time, arms crossed with an amused look on his face. "Is that how you guys always talk to each other?" he asked.

I sighed. "Every chance we get."

I was only kidding, but I don't think the PR guy picked up on that. "I take it your Coach doesn't let you slack off very much."

How observant. "He doesn't, but I do it anyways. If I were as serious as Yakov is all the time, I'd be miserable. He thinks it'll affect how I perform in the water, but it hasn't so far."

"So far?"

Well, that hadn't come out the way I wanted. It felt as if I'd had predicted my future. But all I could say after that was, "Yeah."

"You know Victor if you wanna do this some other time—"

"It's not that," I interrupted him, yawning again. "I'm just tired. But I also know that the press will be breathing down my neck at the crack of dawn tomorrow, and I already have a busy day planned. So, I need to get a statement ready."

"Well, in that case, I won't take up much of your time. A large part of this needs to focus on your fans. They've been blowing up social media about your condition because they're worried sick about you."

I rolled my eyes so hard at that but didn't say anything.

"Considering how taxing of a day you've had, we can make this short and sweet," he continued. "However…"

I waited for him to keep talking, but I had a feeling I already knew which direction he was going. "Yes?"

"About this boy—"

"Listen," I interjected right away, snorting about how right I was. "Before this gets out of hand like I know it probably will anyways, I just wanted to let you know that nothing is going on between this boy and me. I was the one who wasn't paying attention to what I was doing; the car aimed at me. This boy just happened to be at the right place at the right time, and he pushed me out of the way. That's it. Anything you've heard otherwise is a blatant lie."

The PR guy opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but then closed it again.

"What is it now?" I was beginning to lose my patience with him too.

"In that case, you might wanna make that statement sooner rather than later. Because everyone outside this door thinks otherwise."

My stomach dropped. "What? Why? What makes you say that?"

"You guys are trending. Worldwide."

"Trending?"

" _Worldwide_ ," he repeated.

"For what? What type of story could they get from this? All he did was save my life."

"You're saying it like it's not a big deal," the PR guy chuckled. "You don't see things like this happening every day, particularly in this school."

"Yeah, I know, but..." That's not what I'm concerned about. I didn't want to say this out loud, but the reason I kept looking over at my guardian angel during the fallout was because he looked just as scared as I felt. We both could've been hurt or worse, killed. Something like that was hard to erase from my mind.

"Then what's the problem? If you ask me, this is perfect timing. The start of the swim season is just around the corner, right? Something like this could be a jumpstart to some more fans, subscribers, and sponsors. It may even catch the eye of some of those Olympic recruiters."

Why did I think it was a good idea to tell everyone that I wanted to join the Olympics? Mila was right. I should've kept it to myself. The tabloids were always looking for something to stick on the front page, and nothing was below their standards, including milking a sympathy story for all it was worth. And the more traffic they brought to their websites and blogs, the more money went into their pockets, which just added to the list of people that they hired and paid to bother me.

On the flip side, it also meant more endorsements deals, so that was nice.

"Just see what they're saying at least," the PR guy reached into his pocket and handed me his phone since I didn't seem to have mine. When I took it, he showed me all the big headlines:

 _Near death collision! Heroic fan saves star swimmer!_

 _Victor Nikiforov cheats death! Guardian angel watches over him as he pushes Olympic hopeful out of the way of a moving vehicle!_

I felt bile build up in my throat. Seeing the word 'death' that many times across these media outlet pages made me feel sick to my stomach. And to know that I was that close to being smashed into pieces if not for that boy…

My heart swelled. I was nearly overwhelmed with emotion. Every flashback I was having was making me more and more confused. I couldn't even explain what I was feeling.

But then I began to realize what the PR guy meant when he said there was more to it than what I assumed.

Another header read: _Love at first sight? Brave fan saves college swim star from certain death with a sparkle of joy in their eyes._

There was that fucking word again.

But then there was another that caught me off guard: Love.

"What the hell?" I scowled and squinted my eyes. "The world thinks I'm gay now?"

"I tried telling you," the PR guy shrugged.

"Listen, PR guy—what's your name again?"

"Jordan."

"Sorry," I chuckled, "There's so many of you. Yakov can never seem to get anyone to stay."

"Probably because you've slept with half of our female crew."

I blushed. "Sorry about that," even though part of me wasn't. Some of those women were hot.

Jordan shrugged, he couldn't care less it seemed. "So? Are we making a statement tonight or what?"

I couldn't do it. Seeing the discomfort on that boy's face, I couldn't put him in the spotlight again. I could tell he wasn't used to that kind of attention. Not like I was.

"Victor." Now it was Jordan's turn to lose his patience. He rolled his eyes and took his phone back when he saw the faraway look on my face. "Go get some sleep. I'll be here tomorrow morning with everyone else. Just make sure you have something ready for me to say."

I yawned, stretching my tired muscles. "Sure." Well, at least I wouldn't be forced to think. I could finally get some damn rest. I would have to explain my pseudosexuality later.

It wasn't until I got back to my place and hopped in the bathroom did I see how truly tired I was. I noticed in the mirror that there were dark circles and bags under my eyes. My hair was unkempt. There were cuts and scrapes in random landmarks of my body. Worse than that, there was an ugly purple bruise on my right shoulder. My dominant shoulder. My swimming shoulder. I needed to reduce the pain and swelling before tomorrow because Yakov was not going to cut me any slack.

"Dammit…" I was too tired even to take my clothes off. I couldn't stop yawning, and I hurt all over. I decided to pop a pain pill and save my shower for tomorrow morning. I was dying for some sleep.

It was a little after midnight. I went into my bedroom and fell backward on the bed, letting all my weight collapse on the mattress. I felt the last bit of energy leave my body.

"Ебать меня," I cursed in Russian, throwing my forearm over my eyes. I've never been so tired in my life. The semester just started about a month ago, and I was already over it.

Even before the accident, my life was hectic, from sunrise to sunset. If Yakov didn't demand my attention, someone else did. Whether it be Mila, Chris, Georgi, the press, my professors, the school newspaper and magazine, someone on the team who needed my guidance; everyone wanted a piece of me. And let's not forget the countless needy girls at Hasetsu University who saw my perceived loneliness as a DIY project and attempted to fix me…oh God.

Why couldn't I just meet someone in my life that treated me like I was normal?

Sure, the attention did wonders for my ego and that was always a good thing. But it always came with a price tag. And I wasn't sure if I was willing to pay with my sanity and dignity anymore.

As a matter of fact, I know I wasn't. I had to do something to turn this around. I felt like I was losing control of my life and during this crucial time, when EPSN, Sports Center, BBC Sports and possible recruiters from you-know-where were watching me, I couldn't afford any more screw ups.

So, to keep things from imploding, I decided I was going to find my guardian angel before the press did. If not, he was going to get dragged into my messy life too, and I didn't want that. It would be like throwing a baby sheep to the wolves.

I didn't know how to contact him. I couldn't go on social media and appeal to my fans because they'd find him in two minutes and then tag and flood his page endlessly. From our brief run-in, I could tell he wasn't good with people. I didn't want to make it worse inadvertently.

Tomorrow morning, I was going to make my move. How I was going to do that without being noticed, I didn't know, but I had to get this under wraps. On top of the other crap going on in my life, and for the sake of PR, I needed to nip this in the bud.

Plus, I wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it until I showed my gratitude.

* * *

I was groggy and sore the next morning. My alarm went off at five in the morning and I'd just woken up from a weird dream that involved the planet Saturn. That's all I remembered. But I couldn't get it off my mind.

I tried to compartmentalize it as I got dressed, and poured Maccachin a bowl of dog food before I made my way out of the dorm. Last night, I did a bit of digging—let's be honest here, _stalking_ —and found out where my guardian angel was going to be from one of his friends' Instagram page, named Phichit. That kid sure loved to take selfies.

Anyway, he was at the hospital. Since I had to be at practice 'On Time' this afternoon, I decided to get up this early and have a morning jog at the same time, to help settle my nerves.

Yes, you heard correctly. I, Victor Nikiforov, was nervous. I was never worried about meeting fans, but how could I not be after I discovered that the boy who saved my life was also the boy that I signed up under to be my tutor?

Reason being, it was going to be very hard concentrating on anything but those eyes of his. I did feel a spark when I looked at him. I didn't want to admit it to my friends, but…

Okay, fine, I liked his eyes. But whenever I thought about them, I had a craving for chocolate. I made sure to avoid all vending machines that I laid eyes on when I got to the hospital. I was too paranoid about Yakov finding out if I had some.

As soon as I closed and locked my door, I pulled the hoodie over my eyes and tried to look as inconspicuous as possible. I chose not to drive because the whole world practically knew what my car looked like and I figured I could make an easy escape if I needed to. I didn't trust myself enough to cover my ass enough not to get caught because it's never worked in the past.

Something was nagging me about Yuuri, and I couldn't ignore the feeling any longer. I felt like I was on autopilot, jogging a little faster, but I felt a bit like someone was following me. I decided that it was just paranoia, but my heart wouldn't stop pounding. Adrenaline coursed through me as I picked up the pace. I tried to clear my head of everything but swimming. I needed to focus on that. I needed to think about practice and preparing for the TTs. Focus on my breathing. That was the most important thing.

"Hey, is that—"

On second thought, I knew this was a bad idea from the start. I couldn't be incognito no matter how hard I tried. Someone always knew it was me. Nevertheless, I sped up the pace, running a bit faster. As seconds passed, I heard more commotion behind me, and I knew by now that my cover was blown. I had to run for my life.

Thankfully, Fitness was my middle name—it had to be, so I was able to run for a long time. I didn't know if that would help me in this situation, but I damn sure was going to try.

There still weren't that very many people outside or on the road at five fifteen in the morning, except for those either going to work, or coming in from a night of partying. Alas, once they saw me, they joined the crowd that was chasing me. Everyone mostly came from school, unfortunately, so it could be why they decided to fall in line.

Dammit. Would this pandemonium ever end?

Just when I was starting to get tired, I saw the hospital in the distance and thanked God that I didn't have much further to go since apparently, the darkness and my black hoodie couldn't even disguise me. Knowing that people were going to be on social media uncomfortably soon disclosing my location fueled me long enough to reach the doors nearly. People kept repeatedly calling my name, and it just made me run faster. I couldn't let them catch me. I had to get away.

There was a small forest of trees right before the curb by the road, and I thought that if I lost them in these tall shrubs and bushes, my chances of evading them would increase. I dove for the nearest one, wincing in pain from my bruised shoulder while dealing with the new scratches from the twigs and branches that I jumped in. I hit the ground with a hard thud, right on that shoulder. I cursed under my breath trying to ignore the pain and bunched my knees to my chest to hide in a little ball.

This was utter madness.

I held my breath as I heard shouts and voices of people running past me, some of them swearing they saw me run in this direction, which was true, but I prayed they didn't see me crouching in these shrubs.

My clothes were muddy, and I was sure I had leaves and dirt in my hair. Gross. But at least they didn't find me yet. I still had to find a way to get inside the hospital—because using the front door wasn't an option—and then after that, find Yuuri's room, all without being detected by the more people.

I stayed in that bush for a good ten minutes because I wanted to make sure that there was no one else chasing me. When I was certain I was in the clear, I stood up, brushing the debris off my clothes and pulled the hood back over my head.

How the hell was I supposed to get inside at this point? The whole neighborhood knew by now that I was out and about, and the sun was barely peaking over the horizon. It would get crazier once everyone else was aware. I had to get this done before my first class, and that didn't seem to be happening.

I should've just stayed in bed.

I didn't know where everyone went, but time was of the essence. Instead of going through the front entrance where the groupies were probably expecting me, I headed for another door. Surely that wasn't the only way inside. It couldn't be.

My luck seemed to change because after walking around for a good fifteen minutes, there was a heart center near the very back of the hospital. It was a separate building from the main emergency room, and I was confident that no one was here, at least the crowd that was chasing me. I knew my hoodie would garner suspicion from security, but once I walked through the double doors unnoticed, I approached the receptionist at the desk.

She was a hot blonde that wore a sexy black lace-up swing dress, on top of having a beautiful rack. My old urges nipped at me, but I pushed it down.

Immediately, her jaw dropped, and she was about to scream my name and blow my cover, but I put my finger to her lips. "Shhh…" I commanded her softly. It was time to put on the charm. "Don't speak, honey. I just need some information from you."

"V-Vic—"

"I said shhh." I leaned over the desk, closer to her face. I saw her cheeks flushing, and happy tears forming in her eyes. "If you don't tell anyone I'm here, I promise I'll make it worth your while." I tilted my head to the side, my hair falling over my right eye. "What's your name, cutie?" I asked with a smirk.

Even with my dirty clothes and disheveled hair, she looked as though she saw an angel. It also appeared as though she forgot her name because she didn't answer me right away. She wasn't wearing a nametag, either. And I could only stand here for so long before people discovered where I was.

"You're…amazing," she fawned. "I watch you on ESPN all the time, and…mmm, those speedos," she practically moaned. I vaguely wondered if she sounded like that in bed. She then brushed my hair away from my face. "You're so much hotter than the rest of the swimmers."

While I could appreciate a nice compliment, now was not the time to try and hit on me. Not when there was a mob on my tail. So, I had to cut to the chase.

"I'm looking for Yuuri Katsuki," I batted my eyelashes and her face flushed. I then took my index finger and playfully brushed it across her chin. Then I brought our foreheads together. "Can you tell me what room he's in, beautiful?"

She trembled, giving me that star-struck stare that I was accustomed to, and then when I ran my thumb back and forth across her chin and jawline, she nearly fainted. "Y-y-yes," she stammered. "He's in room…" her voice trailed off, she couldn't take her eyes off me. "He's in room—"

"There he is!"

Shit. They found me again. How did these people always find me? I bolted for the elevator adjacent to the bathrooms without getting the information I was after. Crap, and I was so close!

When I summoned it, the damn thing was taking its sweet time getting to the first floor, and I was standing longer than I wanted. "Come on, come on!" I pressed the up button like a mad man. I turned my head backward, and there was about twenty people—largely women—running toward me. It was the scariest sight ever.

Finally, it opened at the last minute. Once I got in and forced the doors shut behind me, the girls beat and hammered on them, trying to get them open again. One girl even successfully reached in between the small gap and grabbed my hoodie, tearing it at the shoulder.

And there was fifty bucks down the drain. But at least I got away.

When the elevator cart started moving, I leaned back against the wall, slid down to the floor and let out a long-winded breath. God, I didn't know how much more of this I could take. Was it even 6 A.M yet? Didn't these people have anything better to do, like, sleep?

I was starting to hate this lifestyle. I truly was.

It wasn't until the elevator began to move up did I remember the receptionist never gave me Yuuri's room number. She couldn't. So that meant I was back at square one.

It didn't matter because I still had to find him. I would only hope that I'd get there before the crazies did because if not, it was curtains for Yuuri.

It was the first time I ever acted so weird about someone before. As soon as I saw Yuuri's name on that billboard earlier yesterday, I grew strangely attached to it. And then when that same person does something as profoundly as saving your life, it leaves an imprint on you.

I was starting to wonder if Mila was right about me.

I tried to stay focused on what was going on outside of my head. These halls were like a labyrinth, and I couldn't afford to be distracted. I was just going to have to keep riding the elevator to every floor to find Yuuri, which meant I wasn't safe from any pursuers. So, I had to be swift.

 _DING!_

Crap. It wasn't my floor. Someone was coming on the elevator. I pulled down my hoodie, but to my relief, it was Yuuri's friend Phichit, and two other people Guang and Leo with him, carrying a bunch of snacks.

"Fancy meeting you here," he chuckled, throwing a handful of popcorn in his mouth, some falling to the floor. "You came to see Yuuri too?"

My eyebrows lifted. Then I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess you could say that. Why aren't you kids getting ready for class?"

"Why aren't you?" Phichit smirked at me, amused by my unkempt appearance. "I heard your Coach threatened to fire you, but sheesh, how much damage did he do?"

Was nothing secret around here?

"I didn't say he was gonna fire him," Guang interjected and rolled his eyes. "It's just Yakov blowing off some steam, making empty threats, things like that. Right, Victor?"

"Like a hot air balloon," I snorted.

Everyone laughed. The elevator began its ascent again, and a wave of calm swept over me. I wouldn't have to run up and down this place to find Yuuri after all.

"So, what's he doing here in a heart center? Did the accident affect him that much?" I asked, half joking.

"No," Guang giggled, "This is just the quickest way to get to Yuuri's room. Plus, the doors close after eight at this entrance, so everyone has to use the other one at the far end."

"So, what, you guys get VIP treatment or something?" I smirked.

"I guess you could say that," Phichit gave me a side glance and smirked back. I could already tell that he was the jokester in this group, sarcastic and witty whenever he had the chance.

"So, what happened to you? Did you get in a fight with a tree and lose?"

I stuck my hand in Phichit's bucket of popcorn and stuffed the food in my mouth to get him back for his smart-aleck comments. "And I still looked good doing it."

The kid rolled his eyes. "You jocks."

"We're at the top of the food chain," I threw a kernel at Phichit. "Don't you forget it."

"Yes mom," he stuck his tongue out at me. Reminded me of someone I knew.

"Don't let Yakov see you eat that," Guang pointed out, he and Leo snickering at my messy eating.

Damn. And just that quickly, I forgot that I was supposed to be on a diet. It was Phichit's fault with his snarky remarks. Or, maybe part of me liked being treated like a normal person for once, even if it was for just the duration of this elevator ride.

It nearly baffled me that there were still normal, down to earth people that went to our school. It was a breath of fresh air. How were they not affected by this insanity?

"What Coach doesn't know won't hurt him," I grinned and winked at Guang while mussing up his hair. "Now, how long before we get to Yuuri's room?"

"In a rush to see him?" Leo joked.

I was, but maybe not for the reasons that they were thinking. At least, that's what I was going to tell them. "He dropped his wallet."

And a second later, I heard the collective gasps.

Up until now, I hadn't told a single soul that I found Yuuri's wallet after everyone else left the scene, the police included. It was thick and falling apart at the seams, but that was only because of what I accidentally saw in there.

Phichit eyed me suspiciously. "You didn't steal any money from him, did you?"

"Of course not," I rolled my eyes, offended. "I'm not that much of a scumbag. I would never—"

 _DING!_

Oh no. Not that dreaded sound again. Seconds later, the elevator soon swelled with screaming girls all trying to grab me and tear my clothes off. Phichit, Leo, and Guang were all squeezed and pushed toward the far end of the car out of everyone's way. I tried to reach for them, but I was pushed and shoved the opposite way, my bum shoulder slamming into the wall.

"Shit," I cursed under my breath. The pain was getting worse. But I didn't have time to assess the damage, seeing as there was pandemonium in this once peaceful cab.

Girls were fighting each other trying to get close to me. Other were grabbing for my clothes, trying to take off my shirt. At this point, telling them to stop was pointless. It never worked before, why would it work now?

Phichit must have seen how miserable I looked, because he somehow convinced Leo and Guang to get on their hands and knees so that he could stand on their backs, above everyone.

"Calm down everyone! Chill out! Now, if everyone will follow me, I will lead you to the conference room where you can ask Victor whatever question you want, and I mean anything!"

"Yeah right. Who the hell are you?" one girl demanded.

"I'm his assistant and don't fix your lips to question me like that again young lady. Now, do you want to talk to Victor or not?"

"Yes!" they all said desperately, "Yes!"

Somehow, he was able to persuade them. The crowd cheered, and their echoes bounced off the walls. Girls' screams rang throughout the hallway as thankfully, the elevator door opened back up. I looked back and gave Phichit a bewildered look, but he just winked at me. What was he doing?

Once the cab stopped and all the girls dragged me out of it, Phichit aggressively pulled hair and grabbed shoulders as he pushed his way through the crowd.

He then stood on a table, above everyone once again. "Okay, everyone follow me! The conference room is this way."

I don't know how he convinced all those women to listen to him, but they did, following in a single file line down the lobby on the first floor. Even though this wasn't a waiting room, they still had to be quiet, though they weren't doing an excellent job. Leo and Guang stood in the back of the line with me, and I hoped and prayed the girls didn't notice that we weren't leaving with them. Suddenly, Phichit, Guang, and Leo made a break for it back into the elevator.

Regrettably, I didn't realize that I was supposed to follow them until it was too late. I looked over and saw that the elevator doors were closing, and I ran over to jump in, but instead, I stubbed my foot in the door. The three boys all looked horrified at the elevator car moved up another floor without me.

One girl looked back at the commotion. Then another. Then five more. Crap, I was in trouble again.

I didn't even think about my next move. My legs did it for me. As I dashed down the hall, not knowing where the hell I was going, my lungs were on fire. As fit as I was, even I couldn't stand running for a full hour.

They didn't care. No one did, and why should I expect them to? But I was at the end of my rope and decided, screw it, I'll just burst into the first door I see. I'll deal with the repercussions afterward.

I did just that. I ended up running up a few staircases since elevators were out of the question now. When I reached the second floor, I practically fell into the first room I laid my eyes on. Once I turned the doorknob, I forced my tired legs to push their way in, as to not let the horde see which direction I went. As soon as I pushed my weight against the door and closed it, I heard hundreds of footsteps pass by me.

That was way too close for comfort. I was unwittingly holding my breath, and once I let it out, I fell to my knees, damn near hyperventilating.

My body hurt. Sweat drenched my forehead. I was exhausted, mentally and physically. I couldn't do this anymore.

"Victor?"

My heart stopped. I froze in place. My knees fell weak. That voice… _it couldn't be._

I spun around, and there he was.

 _The boy with the beautiful brown eyes…_

* * *

 **A/N: If you have AO3, feel free to look me up. I'm on there more often than here. Username: pork_cutlet_bowl**

 **Yuuri's POV is coming up next :)**


	3. Yuuri: Can You Hear My Heart Beat?

Hey, guys! Now you get to see things from Yuuri's point of view. This will be ongoing throughout the rest of the story, switching back and forth between him and Victor. Things will start to heat up in subsequent chapters, so don't worry. It's Yuuri and Victor from here on out.

* * *

 _My eyes kept looking back in the rear-view mirror as I made my way down the lonely highway, relieved when I saw that there was no one following me._

 _Still, I was not without my wiles if need be. My hands gripped the steering wheel tight enough to whiten my knuckles. Sweat glissaded my temples, cascading down the side of my face. My heart felt like it would stop at any second with the way it was pounding so hard in my chest. Trees passed by me in a blur, soon forgotten the further I got down this road._

 _It was hard to decide in my mind what to tackle first. Everything was hitting me from every corner. There was the main trifecta of thoughts involving some telling me to go back, others telling me that I'm making the right decision. And then, there was that gray area that didn't know what the hell I was thinking._

 _Was I really going to doing this?_

 _The music coming through the speakers was barely a distraction. The quiet hum of the engine didn't do much to quell my anxiety either. I sat on the edge of my seat and took deep breaths, focusing on what was in front of me instead of what I was leaving behind._

 _There was hardly a car on the road, considering it was after two in the morning. I was a night owl, so it was a cinch to stay up this late. I didn't need coffee or some other energy drink, but I had plenty of junk food that I emptied from the fridge to keep me company. It was a desolate feeling into the unknown, something I lived every day, but it was better than the chaos that I was escaping._

 _Was it cowardly? Maybe. Running away from my problems wouldn't make them go away. But I was tired of feeling like a caged animal clawing for freedom and desperate to breathe air that wasn't choking. I had no choice at this point. I didn't know what would happen to me if I had to endure it any longer._

 _An image of my uncle suddenly popped in my head, and my stomach sank. What would he think when he woke up and discovered that I'd not only stolen his car but cleaned out his bank account too? I imagined the fiery rage in his eyes once he caught up with me, and—_

 _STOP._

 _I shook my head, swallowing hard_. Keep your eyes on the road, Yuuri. Don't look back. No one knows where you're going. You're safe. He can't hurt you anymore.

 _I had planned this for weeks now. I'd drive myself to the train station and abandon the car there. Then I would take the fourteen-hour ride to Kyushu. By then, I'd be far away from my uncle even if he did come looking for me._

 _But, I wasn't sure what to do if my plan failed. I didn't count on it failing, but...what if it did?_

 _If I couldn't pull this off...what would become of me?_

 _Would I go back to that hell hole? Would that be my fate until God decided that he'd punished me enough?_

 _I was so preoccupied with my current dilemma that I didn't see the raccoon jump out in front of my car until it was too late. I gasped and slammed on the breaks as quickly as I could, but I lost control of the vehicle when I turned the wheel too hard trying to avoid it. If that wasn't terrifying enough, my car flipped until it reached an embankment and it tipped over and rolled down the other side._

 _I spent the last moments of my life screaming, my head bouncing off the ceiling and glass shattering in my face, cutting the skin. The embankment was long like a trench and never seemed to stop. Dirt, leaves, and branches from passing trees and bushes jutting out hit me in the face and cluttered the car as it came spiraling down toward the very bottom, where my watery grave awaited me._

 _The car hit the lake with a sickening smack. Water immediately began to fill the inside. I desperately tried to unfasten the seatbelt, but it was stuck! I screamed to the heavens begging God for help._

 _I couldn't believe it. After successfully making it this far, this was how my life was going to end?_

 _It didn't take long for the water to rise to my waist, then my neck and beyond. My chest felt heavy, and it was getting harder to breathe. I tried to wriggle out of it and hoped that my body was slim enough to get underneath the strap._

 _But the effort was fruitless._

 _My lungs starved for air as I aimlessly fought, struggled to unhook myself from the death trap that ironically was built to save me. The water was up to my nose now, and I'd been holding my breath for far too long. But if I dare try to breathe, I….._

No…NO! _I mentally screamed._ Someone, anyone, please…help me! I don't want to die!

 _I kept trying to free myself, but the seatbelt held me in place, refusing to let me go as if this was my fate, my destiny. My punishment for running away from the only life I've ever known. The car sunk deeper into the watery void with each passing moment. Darkness surrounded me, engulfed me, crushed me. The pressure from the water caused my chest to feel caved in, cutting off my means of breathing._

 _And after that, I lost my will to fight. It was too much._

 _My vision was failing. I…couldn't…hold on…._

 _Everything's… turning to black…_

 _I'm sorry, Vicchan…._

My eyes shot open, and I screamed, thrashing my arms and my head left to right, gasping desperately for air. I saw nothing but white all around me, and my heart sank when I realized that I'd just passed on over to the other side.

I couldn't believe it. I was dead. I'd died in that lake.

But then I realized that I could breathe again. I looked around and saw wires and tubes attached to me. It took a second or two for me to realize that I wasn't drowning anymore.

I was lying in a hospital bed.

I froze, not sure of what to make of what happened to me. Just a moment ago, I was trapped in a car at the bottom of a lake, seconds away from knocking on death's door.

And now I was….here.

It was a nightmare, I realized. I took a few moments to collect myself and calm down. My heart was racing, and it took everything in me not to cry and have another breakdown. I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn't real.

Because it once was.

Now I had to contend with what was going on around me. I tried to remember why was here. Did someone somehow find me at the bottom of that lake? How did they know I was there? My memory was fuzzy at best, and—

My thoughts were interrupted when I suddenly heard my door open and slammed shut. I sat up on my bed, frightened, and the first thing I saw was a head full of silver hair. And...

Oh. My. _God_.

No…this couldn't be right. There was no way in hell that he was standing in front of me. I still must be dreaming.

That had to be the only explanation. Why else would Victor Nikiforov—the hottest guy in our school, the envy of all athletes—be in my hospital room? Why else would he be here? Was I hallucinating?

No matter the reason, there he was in the flesh. I didn't believe my own eyes when he burst into the door, but the longer he stayed there, materialized, the more I started to feel it wasn't a dream. The monitor next to me beeped faster, and I prayed Victor didn't hear how quick my heart was beating. I didn't need to embarrass myself more than I already have.

There was a bigger fish to fry. Like, why he was here. But little by little, it was starting to come back to me.

I noticed that my hair wasn't wet or damp, so perhaps that nightmare I just had was just a bad dream. But then once I saw Victor, it came to me. I remember pushing him out of the way of a vehicle that was coming right toward him. I remember rolling down a hill, getting scratched up by the rough terrain of the grass, rocks, and dirt.

And then I remember when we finally hit bottom and I fell on top of him. That moment we looked into each other's eyes...and I felt it...

I shook my head. I couldn't think about that right now.

It was starting to make sense why Victor would be here, because of what happened yesterday. It just took me totally by surprise, however, considering I'd made an idiot of myself in front of him with all my childish blushing. But I was thankful that for whatever reason, he wasn't laughing at me for it. I was also sure by now that he knew that I was a fan of his, though. I couldn't even talk in complete sentences around him yesterday.

A long, quiet minute had passed before I had to say something. Victor was kneeled to the ground not moving, but I had to find out if this was real or not. The silence was killing me.

"V-Victor?"

I barely said his name. My voice trembled. That's how scared I was. Scared that this was a dream. _Please don't let this be a dream..._

There was a stagnant pause in the air. It was like my voice brought him back to life or something. Victor was on his knees in front of the door and stood up gingerly once I said his name and turned around. The first thing I noticed were those gorgeous eyes of his. Just like I did yesterday.

"Hello, Yuuri," he said.

The heart monitors spiked, and I wanted to die of embarrassment. How stupider could I make myself look in front of Victor? Still, I tried to save face. "H-hi," I replied to him.

From what I could gather, he was running from something—or someone—out there, and he came in here to hide. But what were the odds of him coming to my room?

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, I..." Victor seemed to have a lot of his mind. "I was trying to get here before the..." his voice trailed off as he gestured his head toward the door. "I guess sneaking into places isn't my forte."

I certainly wasn't complaining. Victor could've snuck in my room anytime he wanted. Still. I was curious. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to get here before the vultures do," he said. "But as usual, my cover was blown."

"No, it hasn't been. The press and paparazzi have been here all night, unfortunately," I frowned.

"Really?" Victor exclaimed. He looked annoyed. I didn't know why.

I decided to tread with caution. "Y-Yeah..."

"Guess I was too late then..."

"Too late for what?"

Victor looked surprised that I heard that. Guess he thought he was whispering. "Never mind," he muttered. "I just came to see how you were doing."

Well, I was having a bad day, but. . . "I'm ok-kay," I said back. Idiot mode activated. "Aside from the sprain, I'm doing pretty good. I'm guessing you're having the same kind of day as me."

"Like you wouldn't believe," Victor groaned and raked his hand through his hair. "A sprain, though? I didn't think hospitals kept you overnight for that."

I rolled my eyes. "Blame my overprotective friends for dragging me here."

Despite his clothes being dirty and hair being a tattered mess, Victor still looked wicked hot. How in the world did he do that?

He was so handsome and regal, with perfectly sculpted, hard biceps and agile, ropy muscles. He had a slim torso and a curved, sharp jawline; A beautifully rugged bone structure, with tanned unblemished skin. He had full, delectable, dare I say, kissable lips, and those show-stopping eyes…wow. There was something hauntingly expressive about them. His silvery, flowing hair belonged in a shampoo commercial with the way it fell in careless waves over his eye. The black Nike crew neck t-shirt Victor was wearing looked painted on his muscular chest, and it was hard not to notice his nipples peeking through it.

Crap. I'd been looking too long to be able to notice all of that. I needed to get a hold of myself a bit. But I couldn't help it. Victor was dangerously sexy.

"Yuuri?"

"Huh?" I said, dazed and blushing.

"Is this a bad time?"

"No!" Well, it _was_ , but do you think I was going to tell him that? "I mean..." I cleared my throat and tried to stop staring at him like a pervert. "N-no, of course not." I suddenly felt hot. It was then that I realized that Victor knew my name without me even telling him.

But how?

Maybe it was the hallucinogenic effect of whatever medication in my system, but I didn't care. This was monumental. My idol was in the room with me, and it didn't matter how Victor ended up here, I was just glad that he was.

But something seemed off. I knew there was an image that college athletes had to maintain on social media and the public in general because everyone was watching, but in front of me, Victor looked beaten. Exhausted even. I felt his vibes as soon as he turned around and looked at me. He didn't seem like his usual confident, jubilant self.

I didn't know what to think here.

"Are…" I cleared my throat again. "Are you okay, Victor?"

That question seemed to jar him from whatever was distracting him mentally. His expression swiftly changed, as if a light switched in his head and he smiled. "Of course, I am!" he exclaimed. "I just wish I knew this sooner. But there's something that I need to ask you."

I tuned out the heart monitor stimulated by my nervousness. "Wh-what is it?" I said.

Victor approached the side of the bed. I could smell his cologne, and it was intoxicating. I couldn't let him see how much I was sweating. "Nobody has bugged you about what happened yesterday, have they?"

Wh-what was this? Just what the heck happened out there to make Victor act so concerned?

"Not really. There were about two or three people that came in and tried to get a statement from me before I asked the doctors and nurses not to let anyone else in. It was kind of overwhelming."

"What did they ask you?" Victor sounded eager. He stood closer to me. I couldn't handle it. He was so hot. I thought his body heat might melt me into the bed. "Did they say anything about me?"

"Of course, they did." It was hard to think straight. His scent was hypnotizing. I felt urges in the pit of my stomach, just like I did yesterday. "They wanted to know if…" Oh God, this was so embarrassing. "They wanted to know if something was going on with us… Romantically."

"Dammit," Victor cursed and said a few more other things in Russian that I probably was better off not knowing. He pulled his hair behind his ear and let out a deep breath. "These people don't know when to quit."

"It's okay," I tried to lighten the mood. "The press is just doing their jobs…right?"

"You don't get it, do you, Yuuri? If you're not careful, these people will rip you apart. Your name will be dragged through the mud and slandered on every media outlet there is. And I don't—"

Victor didn't get to finish his sentence because the door burst open again.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, a bit annoyed that I was no longer alone with him. "I said no visitors—oh, it's just you guys."

My three best friends had all types of junk food in their hands as they walked through the door. Of course, Phichit leads the way toward the right side of my bed. He looked over and across at Victor and smirked. "Fancy meeting you here."

Victor smiled in return. I looked incredulously back and forth between them. Was this an inside joke or something? Phichit and Victor were acting friendly with each other already. Did something happen out there?

Victor snorted, stuffed his hands into his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heel. "Don't you have a class to go to, Kid?"

"Don't _you_?"

Leo and Guang snickered in the background. I glared at them too. Was I missing something?

"So, you guys know each other?" I finally asked, feeling a bit envious.

Victor then looked at Phichit, knowingly. "I guess you could say that."

My best friends all roared in laughter with Victor joining them with chuckles of his own. By now, I was starting to get downright resentful. Apparently, they shared a moment together before I was even in the picture.

Phichit must have sensed it, and stood closer to me, leaning against the rail of the bed. It was a small gesture, and I felt embarrassed for feeling left out, but thankfully he was understanding, even though he didn't need to be.

Plus, this wasn't something that happened every day, being in the same place with the guy I've crushed on for years. Of course, I was going to feel bitter that he created a bond with my friends without me around. I didn't want to be left out.

"Knock, knock." My nurse stepped into the room, and I assumed she was there to check up on my vitals or something, but once she saw Victor, she stopped in her tracks and gasped. "Oh, my God," she whispered, eyes growing twice their size. "You're—"

"Victor Nikiforov, at your service," he smiled and waved.

The nurse must have completely forgotten about why she was here after that. Her face flushed and she squealed. "Oh, my goodness, I'm such a fan! I love watching you on the that one sports channel!"

Phichit pinched the bridge of his nose while Leo and Guang held back their laughs behind. I was having a hard time keeping a straight face too.

"I love your backstrokes and swan dives. How do you manage to do so perfectly? I've watched your every performance."

I bet she did. But I was certain that she didn't even know what a swan dive was. And why was Victor being nice to her when she was obviously thirsty for his attention?

"Down boy," Phichit whispered to me. I guess he saw that I was getting irritated. I didn't know why. Victor wasn't my boyfriend or anything, so he could do whatever he wanted. But it didn't stop me from wanting to jump up and snatch him away from her.

Why was she touching his arm? Why did she need to stand so close to him? It was pissing me off!

"Hey lady!" Leo said from the far corner of the room. "An update on my friend's condition, please?"

Thank God, he said something because I would've looked like a jealous freak if I did. And I didn't want to give Victor the wrong impression of me so soon.

The nurse looked annoyed that someone had the audacity to tell her to do her job. She rolled her eyes and walked toward my IV and heart monitor to read the numbers on it. "Everything seems normal," she muttered. "And your x-ray shows no broken bones, so you should be outta here real soon."

She sounded happy to say that. I suspected because she wanted to flirt with Victor some more. He stood in the background next to Leo and Guang while she did some more typing on her computer. I didn't know what those three were talking about, but apparently, it was funny because my friends wouldn't stop laughing.

Guang had a hard time keeping his giddiness to himself because just like me, he idolized Victor too, especially since they were on the swim team together. It felt as though everyone else had something in common with him, and I didn't. I hated that.

It was selfish, but part of me wished no one came in here. I barely figured out what was going on much less got any time to talk to Victor. I shouldn't have felt that way. I knew he was in high demand and _everyone_ wanted a piece of him, so I had to keep my emotions in check.

But I couldn't help it. We'd just met, and I was acting possessive already. I needed to relax, but I didn't know how. The nurse kept giving us dirty looks, Leo especially because he had enough balls to say something to her.

When she finished what she was doing, the nurse turned around, and I noticed that she'd unbuttoned her shirt at the top, and part of her cleavage was showing. "The doctor will be with you shortly to sign release papers and prescribe you some pain medication. Also, you're going to need crutches for a while." Her voice was robotic, but once she was done speaking to me, she walked up to Victor on the other side of the room and took out a small card from inside her bra, handing it to him.

"And as for you," her eyes sparkled. "Why don't you put this number to good use, cutie pie?" she winked.

It was a stunned silent after that, save for the nurse's footsteps as she walked out of the room. A few seconds later, Phichit snatched the card and whistled. "Woo hooo," he howled. "Is it really that easy?"

Victor shrugged, though he didn't look very enthused, which helped my mood a little. "It's an average day for me."

This was ridiculous. At this point, I felt invisible.

"Excuse me," I grumbled, getting out of bed. Phichit tried to grab me, but I smacked his hand out of the way. "Stop it! I don't need your help."

"Clearly you do," he insisted. "And where do you think you're going? The doctor hasn't discharged you yet."

"Wanna bet?"

I made sure to avoid eye contact with Victor as I hopped on one foot toward the door. I didn't know what came over me, but I wanted to be away from here as soon as possible. I didn't want him to see how irrationally jealous I was.

What was wrong with me? Why was I acting like an overzealous girlfriend?

I didn't make it far because as soon as I opened the door, there were tons of cameras in my face.

Dammit. I all but forgot about the annoying paparazzi that was still outside waiting for me to come out and say something about Victor. I shielded my eyes and tried to push my way through, but with only one functioning leg, I couldn't get anywhere.

"Yuuri Katsuki, Yuuri Katsuki! After the debacle yesterday, what's your current relationship with Victor Nikiforov?" One reporter asked after she approached me.

Before I could address there _was_ no relationship, someone else shoved a microphone in my face. "Is there any truth to the rumor that it was love at first sight? Could there be something else in works for you guys in the future?"

What? How did they come to that conclusion? I could do nothing but glare at these stupid people. That was certainly not the case, though the notion of being with Victor was something that may or may not have passed my mind a few times. Not that I was going to mention it.

It didn't matter anyway after the way I acted back there. Victor probably knew how I felt after that nurse was hitting on him. And I was embarrassed by the thought of him knowing that I wanted him too.

As if the rest of the world didn't.

Soon after, they were piling on too many questions, and I couldn't find an escape from the millions of cameras clicking and flashing lights. Soon, my brain was in overdrive. I couldn't think, couldn't breathe. I was starting to feel that familiar suffocation.

Suddenly, Phichit, Guang, and Leo stepped in. Phichit got in front of me while my other two friends stood on either side. They hooked both of my arms around their shoulders. I didn't know where Victor was, but when I turned to look back in my room, he'd disappeared.

And that just made me feel worse than when the nurse was flirting with him.

"Move it, people!" Phichit barked and pushed everyone back. "I said move it! The man is injured! Out of our way!"

But they weren't listening. Not only was the press trying to get a piece of the action, but behind them, some crazed fans were abrasively trying to cut in.

I was starting to understand why Victor had that tired look in his eyes earlier. Maybe this was the reason. And I couldn't blame him.

People, not just the paparazzi and the fans, were piling into the small space, forcing us to go back into the room. After that, hospital security told everyone to leave or else law enforcement would be called. I couldn't believe what was happening so fast. I barely had opened the door before they bombarded me.

Phichit got in front of us and pushed us back into the room. He then stopped everyone else from coming in and looked over to the far left. His face lit up and gasped as he pointed. "Oh my God, it's Victor!"

Everyone else turned their heads, and as soon as their attention was divided, Phichit pushed us all into the room and slammed the door.

"Crap," I huffed, trying to keep off my ankle as much as possible. Guang and Leo helped me back to my bed. "If I'm gonna be all over the news, I at least wanna put on my regular clothes. These hospital gowns aren't very flattering."

"Yeah…" Phichit didn't seem to hear a word I said because something outside of the window caught his attention. He looked through the blinds. "You might wanna do that sooner than later. People are coming in by the droves because they think Victor is here."

"Think? They know Victor is here."

"Right." Phichit glanced back at us and gave us a careful look. "With that said, hurry up so we can blow this taco stand."

"Whoa, whoa, wait," I protested. "I haven't been cleared for discharge yet."

"That didn't seem to bother you when Victor was here. Trust me Yuuri, you weren't fooling anyone with that act. And how long do you think it's gonna take them to figure out that Victor was in your room? He has some crazy fans, and they find out everything like the FBI."

He was right about that. It would get me in a lot of trouble, but I didn't have a choice. I was now sucked into Victor's crazy life, and the only thing I could do was buckle my seatbelt and hang on for the ride.

The problem was, I had no clue where Victor ran off. I don't know where he went or even how he got away. Maybe Phichit's distraction helped.

Once my friends helped me get dressed, they grabbed my belongings as I bent down and let Phichit carry me on his back. Leo and Guang headed for the door.

"Anyone out there?" I asked.

"Nope," said Guang, "Let's go."

And then Phichit made a break for it toward the elevators. Leo and Guang had followed suit. It was nerve-wracking because we knew paparazzi could pop out from any corner, or even worse, Victor's fans could catch up to us and pummel me with questions about him.

We were going to laugh about this whole thing later.

We somehow got outside undetected, but once the hospital staff realized that I was gone—especially since I didn't sign any papers for discharge—they'd probably call the cops or worse, my family to come looking for me. We headed toward a back alley between the heart center and a small crosswalk. By that time, my absence was detected, but it was too late to do anything about it.

We found a small hiding spot in the parking garage. People ran by us, and I held my breath. The footsteps were terrifying because I didn't know who they belonged to. The press? Hospital security? My parents?

It was then that I realized that I was starving for some of my mom's katsudon and dying for some sleep. With very little of either, on top of my interaction (and subsequent jealousy) with my long-term crush, I could use some rest right now.

Despite everything, I couldn't get my mind off Victor. I still didn't know what made me get jealous like that. It was weird. I'd never known how strongly I felt until I saw that nurse flirting with him.

I shouldn't have been surprised. Victor probably went through that every day. There was a reason he was known as a rolling stone at Hasetsu U. Girls left and right walked over each other to be with him. Why did I even bother getting mad?

I couldn't let that happen again. I didn't want my feelings exposed, especially since social media was having a field day with that already. So, I decided that I was better off admiring Victor from afar.

Phichit took a deep sigh and sat against the wall, bringing me down with him. I knew he was tired from carrying me and I felt bad that I got my friends into this mess. And to think, Victor dealt with this every single day. How could he stay so sane?

"Dammit, don't these people have lives of their own?" I snapped, dropping my head down on his back, the base of Phichit's neck nuzzling the top of my head. I was so tired; I didn't even mind the exchange of sweat that made his skin damp. I was over this day already.

"They do. They just think yours is more interesting," said Phichit as he perched me against the wall, taking a spot beside me. "And they get paid to be that annoying."

"I wish they'd be annoying somewhere else," I scowled. "Before yesterday, I was a nobody, and now everyone's blowing up my spot because of Victor. I got tons of messages from girls asking me how it felt to be on top of him. Some of the other messages I got were dirtier than that."

"I bet they were," Phichit snickered. Leo and Guang joined in the laughter.

"Looks like you're Victor's new love interest now," Leo joked.

I sighed. "Hardly." This insanity isn't what I wanted. Plus, we were not even remotely close to the school, and I wasn't sure if Phichit had the energy to carry me all the way over there.

"Well, you only _did_ just save his life," he giggled. "And with the way you were sitting on him, everyone just assumed you guys were hooking up."

"In _public_? Why would anyone think that?"

"Because everyone's hungry for a story around here," Leo rolled his eyes. "And you and Victor gave them one inadvertently."

"Dammit," I was starting to feel the pressure of fame already. "I didn't think it would escalate this much."

"You saved the life of the most sought-after athlete in the history of our school, and you didn't know it would escalate 'this much'? You're so naive, Yuuri."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You're practically famous by association now!"

I rolled my eyes at Phichit. "People are just blowing this thing out of proportion."

"And Victor isn't doing much to squash the rumors, either."

"That doesn't mean anything," I insisted. "Victor's never been with a guy before, why would he start now?"

"Because you're his cinnamon roll," said Guang jokingly and Leo joined in. "At least, that's how Victor was looking at you."

"Like a cinnamon roll," I deadpanned, unconvinced.

"He kept looking over at us. You probably didn't notice it, but he was. And it looked like he was gonna come over to talk to you, but those girls got to him first."

Great. So, that's what happened. And considering I'd just witnessed the same thing in my hospital room, I was starting to see a pattern here.

"Why do they even think anything's going on with us?" I said.

"Because of what everyone's saying," Phichit answered.

I gave him a blank look.

"You mean you don't know?"

I shook my head. "Not really."

"They think you and Victor look cute together."

"Cute?" I tried to appear offended, but all my friends knew I was full of it. "Who said that?"

"I just told you. Everyone did. Have you even been on social media this morning?"

"No."

"Maybe you should look."

"I got tired of my screen lighting up with another notification every five seconds," I told him. "I turned my phone off a long time ago."

Otherwise, I wouldn't have been caught off guard when I saw Victor practically throw himself in my room. But how do you prepare yourself for something like that?

"Don't let it rattle you, Yuuri," Guang tried to encourage me. "Maybe you can get Victor to set the record straight or something. No pun intended."

Everyone laughed, even me.

"Oh, I wish," I lamented. "There's no way I'll even run into him like that again. Yesterday was a miracle. Today was just a freak accident. Lightning can't strike three times in the same place, right?"

"Can't or won't?" Phichit grinned at me. "Stranger things have happened, Yuuri."

"Yeah, like you saving your future husband from getting hit by a car."

"He's not my husband!" I snapped at Leo, though I didn't sound very convincing, especially when I started to blush.

"Fine, boyfriend."

Why did I hang out with these guys again?

"I admire him as an athlete," I muttered. "I like watching him swim. That's all."

My three friends snickered and rolled their eyes. They knew better. Hell, _I_ knew better. I just hated feeling like I was another fan competing for his attention. And that's something I refused to do because I knew I would lose.

Which was probably why I was acting like a weirdo when that nurse was hitting on him.

Phichit chuckled. "You sure it's not because he wears speedos?"

"Shut up."

To my annoyance, Leo and Guang joined him in a song. "Yuuri and Victor, sitting in a tree—"

"Shut _up_."

"F-U-C-K-I—"

" _Shut up_!" I hid my blushing face. Why did they have to go there? I couldn't even touch that subject with a pole from Mars.

"You know you've thought about it, Yuuri. We saw how pissed off you looked when that nurse was flirting with Victor," Guang teased.

I crossed my arms, looked away and snorted. "She acted like she never saw a good-looking guy before."

"So, you admit he's good looking."

My face burned red. I cursed in Japanese under my breath, and my friends laughed. "Baka."

There was a car that stopped in front of the alley near the other side. We all got tensed up and ready to run just in case it was more paparazzi.

But to our surprise, it was Victor!

He was driving a pink Cadillac, with the sunroof down. That was something you didn't see every day. His dog Maccachin was in the front seat, wagging his tail viciously before he jumped out and ran right toward me.

"Ack!" I fell to the ground as he wet my face with kisses. I laughed and coughed from his fur a little bit, and when I got a good look at him to pet him, my heart stopped.

Because I remembered.

He looked...just like—

Victor blew the horn of his car, breaking me out of that just in time. We all looked at him in awe, as if he knew what a bind we were in.

"Get in losers," He winked. "We're going shopping,"

I bet he always wanted to say that.

—

Life has taught me that that anything was possible, and my current situation proved that.

I was hanging out with Victor Nikiforov and my three best friends in the backseat of his Cadillac cruising down the open road.

I didn't know where we were going. I don't think Victor did either. But he kept driving until he was sure that no one was following us.

Phichit and Leo sat next to me with Guang on the other side. They kept giving me smirks and poking me in the side with their elbows, and I had to grab both of their hands to stop them from being so obnoxious. Victor had sunglasses on, and it was hard to tell if he was looking at us through the rear-view mirror or not. I didn't want to chance it.

His dog sat in the front seat taking a nap. Victor reached over to pet him before he spoke. "Lucky I showed up huh?"

"I'll say," said Guang, putting his hands behind his head and resting it there. "We were close to getting mauled back there."

"So, where are we going, Victor?" Phichit asked. "It's almost eight, and we have to get Yuuri back home so he can heal from his sprain."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Victor smirked. "I got this."

"You've got what, exactly?" I asked before I could stop myself.

He lifted his sunglasses up, and I swear my heart stopped again when he looked at me. His eyes were a pretty shade of aquamarine. I always felt a rush when we looked at each other. "Trust me," he winked.

I still couldn't believe it. Someone as gorgeous as Victor just didn't show up out of anywhere to save my friends and me from an unruly mob. My life wasn't that exciting.

But ever since yesterday, that's all it's been.

Victor drove us around town, passing by the beach and shopping centers. My friends were enjoying the scenery while I was sitting in the middle of everything, trying not to look like a nervous wreck in front of Victor. It was hard dealing with everything on the outside while dealing with how I was feeling on the inside.

How in the world did my life change in the blink of an eye?

About thirty minutes later, he dropped us off at our dorms. Guang and Leo shared a room right next to Phichit and me, and once we got out of the car, we said our goodbyes.

"Hey, listen, before you guys go," Victor reached into a duffle bag and pulled out something familiar.

I gasped. It was my wallet! "How….how did you—"

"You left it back there. No surprise considering what was going on around us. I didn't wanna risk anyone else finding it, so I kept it."

Phichit helped me walk over to Victor's side of the car, and he handed me the wallet. For a moment, our fingers touched, and my heart thumped.

His skin was as soft as a petal. Even for that quick second, I felt a jolt; a spark run through me. I wondered if he felt it too.

Then I heard a small voice in the back of my mind say, _Of course he didn't._

"Th-thank you, Victor," I stammered, trying not to let my insecurities creep up. "I appreciate it."

"You can thank me by coming to my friend's charity auction in a week or two. She's still organizing it, but once she sets a date, I'll let you guys know. Deal?"

"Deal!" Phichit blurted out before I had a chance to say anything.

I turned my head and glared at him, but he just smiled at me. Leo and Guang snickered behind their hands. I was trying my best not to come off as too eager, and my friends weren't helping matters.

Once Victor drove off, I slipped my arm from over Phichit's shoulder, and I shoved him. "How could you do that?"

"Because you weren't going to," he said, catching my hand as I struggled to stay off my swollen ankle. "Victor's practically chasing you, and you're not even aware of it. Open your eyes, Yuuri!"

"In case you didn't hear him, he invited all of us. That hardly qualifies as chasing."

"The hell it doesn't!" said Phichit. "When does Victor ever chase anyone? Usually, they're the ones coming after him! I don't care what you say Yuuri, Victor likes you, and we are going to that auction."

And with only one good leg to stand on, I guess I didn't have much choice, did I?

All three of my best friends looked at me in anticipation, waiting for my answer.

"Fine," I rolled my eyes. "I'll go."

—

A week later

I always underestimated how many people attended this school.

The auditorium was packed to capacity. Lots of girls couldn't get in, and the administration had to turn them away, with much resistance of course. They weren't going without a fight. That was usually the case when Victor was involved.

He could turn a school assembly into a runway fashion show. Girls stepped over each other for a chance to even touch Victor. And fortunately for them, it didn't take much to get his attention. Just have a decent looking face, and it was hook, line, and sinker. After that, Victor would entertain the girl for about a month or three weeks' tops, he gets bored and dumps her, and the cycle would continue.

That was a fact at HU. Victor was not known for his monogamous nature.

I told myself not to pay attention to that stuff, and I usually didn't, but since I was inadvertently involved in his craziness, I had to see what I was up against.

I wasn't sure if anything would blossom. In a perfect world, it would, but I was a guy, and Victor wasn't even gay. But I couldn't ignore the inescapable magnetism I felt around him. He made me blush like a schoolgirl and trip over my words, and I just can't handle how hot he is.

Damn. I was going to be in trouble if I didn't put a stop to these crazy thoughts before they got out of control. I didn't want to be like the rest.

"Come on, Yuuri!" Phichit was poking me in the arm to get my attention as we got to the stands. I had to stop daydreaming in the middle of the day, or else he was going to think I was losing my mind.

Once we found where Leo and Guang were saving our spots, we went to sit down next to them. It took me a while to settle myself because I was finally on crutches. Long story short, my parents found out about what we did and made me go back to the hospital to get some. It was embarrassing apologizing to the hospital staff, on top of avoiding the press asking me why I ran away like that.

"I can't believe I let you guys drag me here," I muttered once I was comfortable. "We're probably the only guys in this place."

"Good," said Phichit, sitting up proudly. "Then that means we'll stick out like a pair of sore thumbs."

That's what I was afraid of.

Near the center of the auditorium was where the stage was set up. It wasn't fancy, and the floorboards probably needed to be renovated. The curtains were a royal blue however, and it reminded me of Victor's eyes. I shook my head. I didn't want to think of him every time I saw that color.

"So, how does this work?" asked Guang. "Is Victor gonna be for sale for someone to take home or what?"

"Looks that way," Leo said.

I wasn't too sure if they were going to auction Victor, or if he was hosting this thing himself. It didn't matter to me since I wasn't planning on spending any money. This was a bit out of my comfort zone.

Everyone was growing impatient. People around us kept asking if Victor was going to come out soon or not. Some even had their money ready to bid. It was quite ridiculous.

About ten minutes of enduring the girls around us acting like caged animals, someone finally appeared from behind the curtain. People cheered.

It turns out, it was one of Victor's close friends, Mila. She must have been the one to organize this. But why? What was the point of this?

"Quiet everyone!" she shouted over the microphone, causing feedback, making us cover our ears. "We're about to begin. Thank you all for coming out to this auction. As you know, all donations will be given to the winners' charity of their choice and the chance to go out on a date with these exceptional athletes! I hope you have your wallets ready!"

So, it wasn't just Victor that was involved with this. Football, baseball, basketball and who knows how many other different athletes were up for bid. I wasn't interested in them though. I just wanted to see Victor.

After sitting and watching the jocks one by one be picked off for dates for the next forty-five minutes, he walked out in the middle of the stage, and the entire place erupted. I could feel the ground thumping underneath my feet. It was like a concert and Victor was the main act, about to perform on stage.

My throat suddenly felt dry. Victor looked dashing. He wore a white and navy blue Jordan mesh tank top and white jeans that hugged his curvaceous body. He had a pair of sunglasses sitting on top of his head—Ray-Bans probably, and a championship ring on his left hand; the one he won at last year's state championship. His fourth so far.

The people who sat in the front row had their hands reaching out, craving his touch. He knew better, so instead, Victor elected to wink and blow kisses at them, making a few girls faint and others fan themselves.

Many other girls in the far seats, including ones around us, stood up and roared. Phichit, Leo, and Guang did the same, and I stayed put, wondering what the heck they were so excited about.

I almost didn't want to know.

"Let's start the bidding at fifty dollars," Mila declared. "Do I hear fifty?"

Guess she wasn't one to waste time. As soon as she said that, girls and even some guys stood on top of the seats, trying to look taller than the person next to them as they waved their money in the air. Who knew these otherwise broke college kids could afford to take someone out?

But this wasn't just anyone. It was Victor Nikiforov.

"A hundred!" One girl called from the crowd. I turned my head and saw that it was Minako, one of my tutoring buddies. I knew she was a fan of Victor, but I didn't even know she was here.

Phichit stood up and hollered in support of her. Leo and Guang joined in. I just buried my face.

"We got a hundred, who's gonna make it one fifty? One fifty, one fifty, one fifty—"

"Two hundred." A guy this time. Everyone raised their eyebrows.

"Hey! Victor isn't gay!" Minako shouted. The women around her seemed to agree. "Sit down and let us handle this."

That was up for debate. There was always speculation about it, and especially after the incident between us last week, more and more people kept wondering what Victor's sexuality was.

But, he kept ambivalent about it. It almost gave me hope. Almost.

The crowd became increasingly competitive after that. Apparently, some brave men wanted the chance to convert Victor to their side of the team. Everyone wanted Victor. It was evident when the starting bid was higher than anyone else's, but I was sure Mila knew the lengths people went through to get a piece of him. That's why he was up last for bidding.

"Do I hear two fifty?" She called. "Two fifty, two fifty, two fifty—"

"Three hundred!" Minako shouted, her loud voice overshadowing even Mila's. She seemed determined to win this auction. Even Victor seemed amused at this point.

"I hear the passion in your voice, do I hear three fifty?" Mila continued, not missing a beat as if she practiced this. "Three fifty, three fifty, three fifty, three fifty—"

"One. Thousand. Dollars."

The air around me nearly choked me. Phichit had shot up like a rocket and declared that impossible bid. My heart thumped in my ears. "What are you doing?" I hissed at him.

Gasps collected around the auditorium. Phichit straightened his shoulders, and he stood proudly as the center of attention. I, of course, wanted to crawl under a rock and die.

"One thousand dollars!" Mila yelled. "Do I hear fifteen hundred?"

"Hell no," someone called out.

"Where did he even get that kind of money?" Someone else said.

I knew. But there was no way in hell I was going to say anything about it. We already had enough attention on us than I could bare.

"One thousand dollars, going once? Going twice?" Mila had waited a few seconds before she made her decision. The place became deafeningly silent. "Sold! To the Asian boy with the bowl haircut, thank you very much."

My friends whistled and cheered. And all I could do was stare in disbelief.

….What the hell just happened?

After everything was over, the four of us were backstage, waiting for Victor. I lost count of the number of dirty looks we all got from people we passed by when we got there. They didn't hide the fact that they weren't happy with Phichit winning a date with Victor.

But no one was as unhappy as I was.

I wanted an explanation. I wanted to know why he was suddenly interested in a guy that he knew I was interested in. A guy that I've admired for years.

How could Phichit do that to me? I mean, sure Victor wasn't mine but…I wanted him to be.

Suddenly, in the distance, I could see Victor coming our way. My heart raced. My palms got sweaty, and I quickly forgot what day it was. Considering their connection last week at the hospital, it made me even more jealous that Phichit was going on a date with him.

Still, I wanted to be happy for my friend.

"Here comes Victor," I told him, with the fakest smile on my face. "I hope you have fun on your date."

Leo, Guang, and Phichit all faced me and smiled. I gave them a blank stare in return. Did I miss something again?

"Oh, _I'm_ not going out with him," Phichit stood in front of me and smirked mischievously, adjusting my collar. "You are."

" _WHAT_ —"

And with that, my three best friends walked away to leave me alone with Victor, without letting me get a word in edgewise.

"Hey!" I tried to call out to them, but it was too late. They were already gone.

When I turned back around awkwardly in my crutches, there he was, speaking to Mila and two other people, Georgi and Chris. I felt so out of place just standing there waiting.

Part of me wanted to run. But then the other part remembered that I only had one good ankle, so that was impossible. I'd have to face Victor, no matter how much I was freaking out on the inside.

As soon as he approached me, I could smell his cologne. I wanted to faint.

"We meet again, Yuuri," he smiled. Oh God, kill me now. But not before I kill Phichit.

"I'm sorry," I blushed, unable to look him in the eye. "I'm so sorry. My friend, he—"

"It's fine, Yuuri," Victor chuckled a bit. He must have thought I was pathetic for always being so flustered around him.

Victor was pulled by a group of fans to take pictures, and I took this small window of opportunity to text my best friend:

 _I am going to murder you_ , I sent.

 _ **That's fine**_ , Phichit answered back. _**Just as long as you do it after your date with Victor.**_


End file.
